Come Little Children
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: A lullaby, a secret, and a strange music box has Jo locked in the past... Prequel.


******Come Little Children**

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: A lullaby, a secret, and a strange music box has Jo locked in the past... Prequel.**

"Hey Jo, you okay?" She turned, looking up at Carter. After a moment, she gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine, Jack, why?"

"No... no reason." He whispered. She picked up her coffee cup and left, glancing over her shoulder at him, eyes narrowed. He couldn't deny the tremor of fear sliding up his spine. Once she was gone, Carter turned back to Allison, who had joined Henry and Grace at their table. He settled into his chair, never taking his eyes off the door. "Did Jo seem... off to you?" He asked, finally turning to look at them.

Henry shrugged. "She has a high-risk job, Carter. Plus, she's dating Zane, that's high-risk in itself. If she seems off, it's probably just stress."

After a moment, Carter sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. But he couldn't get the suspicious glare Jo had thrown him out of his head.

* * *

There she was. He rushed towards her, waving his hands, asking her to hold the elevator doors. In the end, he ended up squeezing through the doors just before they closed. "Thanks."

She nodded. "No problem."

They stood in silence for several minutes, before Carter cast a sideways glance in her direction. "So, how are you?" She glanced at the floor numbers.

"Fine."

"That's good. And... you and Zane are..."

"Fine."

"Just fine? You living together?" She shrugged. "Might as well be?" He offered. She nodded.

"Yes."

He snapped his mouth shut at her harsh reply, and they rode the rest of the way in silence, until the doors opened onto Section Five. She slipped out of the elevator, making her way through the halls, heading towards Zane's office. Carter had to jog to catch up.

"So... Zane must be doing pretty good with being the whole Head of Section Five-"

"Mhmm." He turned to stare at her.

"Are you... sure you're okay, Jo?" He asked, laying a hand on her arm to stop her. She turned her head so quickly, he half-expected her neck to snap. She stared at him, never breaking his gaze, before slowly pulling her arm from his gentle grasp.

"I'm fine, Jack. Now, if you'll excuse me." And she turned, going to the retina scanner over the door to Zane's office. He watched it scan her eye, before hearing the automated voice.

"Welcome Chief Lupo." Then, the doors slid open and she slipped inside, not looking back. Carter watched her, his mind briefly wondering why he didn't have a security system like that, before his thoughts returned to Jo.

* * *

He didn't look up as the doors slid open; he knew who'd entered his office. She was the only person who came down this early besides Henry and Carter, and he knew for a fact that neither one of them were currently making their way towards his desk. He didn't look up until she climbed onto his desk and pushed his work aside, taking his mouth in a passionate kiss. His blue eyes watched her for a moment, and then he pulled away, giving her a smile. "Morning Jojo."

She scoffed gently, climbing into his lap and running her fingers through his hair. She said nothing, just looked into his eyes. He watched her for a moment, giving her his trademark smile, which she didn't return. His hands worked around her waist, holding her on his lap, before he asked, "Something wrong, darling?"

Instead of replying, she reached up, pulling her jacket off and tossing it on the floor. Then, she began to work on her blouse, quickly unbuttoning the dark blue shirt in that one-handed way she had. Once open, he let his eyes travel down her toned form, lingering on the dark blue bra he'd given her. A small smile tugged at his lips, and he moved to kiss her, but she pulled away, shaking her head.

"No no, Zane. Not yet."

"Yet? You're going to make me wait until we get off work-" But she just smiled at him, her dark eyes lighting. She removed his hands, climbing off his lap and slowly removing her blouse, standing in only her slacks and bra. He watched her for a moment, before getting up and pulling her to him. His mouth met hers in a matter of minutes, before she pulled away, pushing him towards the black sofa near the wall.

She said nothing, just took control, and soon, the clothing began to fall. He kissed her, eventually taking control of the situation. Their cries mingled together as their bodies came together, their souls becoming one. When they finally came down from their high, Zane ran his fingers through her hair. She snuggled into him, tracing patterns on his chest, before getting up. Without saying anything, she got up, slowly getting dressed. "So, my place or yours tonight?" He asked, as he also started getting dressed. She didn't reply, instead, she pulled her hair back into the ponytail it had been in before she entered the office. After a moment, she went to him, kissing him deeply before leaving without another word.

Zane watched her leave, licking his lips.

Something about her kiss...

* * *

She glanced up, examining herself in the mirror. After a moment, she undressed, shimmying out of her clothes before changing into a pair of jeans and a sweater. Then, she pulled on a pair of sneakers, and put her hair back in two pigtails behind her ears. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder before leaving the house. She'd headed home after work to change, feeling too stifled in her normal clothes.

She checked the time on her cell. Almost nine.

Taking a deep breath, she slipped into Cafe Diem, her eyes scanning the tables. She saw Zane sitting with Henry and Grace; in a moment, Carter and Allison joined them. She licked her lips, turning to Vincent.

"Hey Jo. Your usual ozou?" She shook her head.

"Actually, I was wondering you have a spot open for karaoke night. I want to join." The owner stared at her, surprised.

"Um... sure. We have space. What... what song did you want to sing?" She glanced around, turning back to Vincent. Licking her lips again, she asked,

"Actually, what I want to sing is a lullaby."

He nodded. "Sure. Go on back and get dressed." She gave him a small smile before doing as told. When she stepped onstage, she took the microphone, turning to face the audience. She could see Zane and their friends sitting at a table directly across from her. Giving everyone a small smile, she began.

Zane and their friends took in the sight of Jo onstage, her long dark hair pin straight and held back with a red headband. She wore a fifties style white swiss-dot dress with a red sash at the waist. She wore a pair of kitten heels and her make up was in shades of neutral. She nodded to Vincent, who started the music. Taking a deep breath, she let the music envelope her as the familiar lullaby began to float from her lips.

_"Come Little Children, I'll Take Thee Away_  
_Into A Land Of Enchantment_  
_Come Little Children_  
_The Time's Come To Play_  
_Here In My Garden Of Shadows"_

She took a deep breath, her soft mezzo capturing all who heard. In her mind, she could hear her mom's voice, singing softly to her. The song held signifigance in her mom's family, evenmoreso after her mom's death, though Jo never understood what signifigance. She just knew that the song was pretty, and that it helped her sleep.

_"Follow Sweet Children, I'll Show Thee The Way_  
_Through All The Pain And The Sorrows_  
_Weep Not Poor Children_  
_For Life Is This Way_  
_Murdering Beauty And Passions"_

Zane glanced at Carter, the older man watched in shock. For a moment, it was as though they were listening to a little girl singing a lullaby to a sibling. Jo seemed so comfortable onstage, yet her gaze kept being drawn back towards the doors, as though she were expecting someone.

"Did you know she could sing?" Carter asked, leaning towards Zane. The younger man nodded. "Did you know she knew such a... creepy lullaby?" Zane shook his head. "Neither did I."

He turned his gaze back to Jo. She looked like a child in the outfit, and it unnerved him.

_"Hush Now Dear Children, It Must Be This Way_  
_To Weary Of Life And Deceptions_  
_Rest Now My Children_  
_For Soon We'll Away_  
_into The Calm And The Quiet"_

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. In her mind, she was back in her mom's arms, her soft soprano lifting the notes on the wind as she cuddled her daughter close. She remembered curling up in her mom's arms every night before bed, begging her to sing the song again and again. Even now, she sang it more for comfort and reminicences than sleep. The last notes escaped her throat, and once she finished, she handed the microphone to Vincent, before hurrying from the room. Quickly, she changed back into her street clothes, and then fled.

"Jo!" She glanced back as Zane as he reached for her, but she pulled away, rushing from the cafe. Zane watched her go, before turning back to the others. "Did anyone else see her face?"

* * *

Once she was back within the safety of her house, she made her way upstairs, going to the bathroom. She washed the makeup off before looking up into the mirror. Eyes that weren't her own stared back at her, and she took a deep breath, looking away before looking back again. She had an idea of who the gaze belonged to, but she didn't want to say it. Putting it out there would only give it life, and she couldn't face it.

Instead, she changed quickly into her pajamas, and headed into her bedroom. She grabbed a small wooden box off her dresser and took a seat on her bed. Then, she lifted the lid, starting the music playing as the dancer appeared. The tune to the lullaby she'd sung at Cafe Diem started up again, and several minutes passed before she took a gold chain out of the drawer that appeared at the bottom of the box. As she lifted up the chain to study the pendant that hung from it, her heart leapt into her throat; she heard her mother's voice begin to sing the familiar lullaby from within the recording mechanism inside the box.

_"Come Little Children, I'll Take Thee Away_  
_Into A Land Of Enchantment_  
_Come Little Children_  
_The Time's Come To Play_  
_Here In My Garden Of Shadows"_


End file.
